1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed generally to processes for preparing food compositions and particularly to processes for preparing food compositions that are easily removed from the container.
2. Description of the Related Art
Animals have been fed “dry” and “wet” food compositions for many years. “Wet” food compositions are generally packaged in can-like containers and are considered “wet” in appearance because of the moisture contained therein. Two types of wet food products are generally known in the art. The first is known in the art as “ground loaf.” Loaf products are typically prepared by contacting a mixture of components under heat to produce an essentially homogeneous, intracellular honeycomb-type mass or “ground loaf” The ground loaf mass is then packaged into a cylindrical container, such as a can. Upon packing, ground loaf assumes the shape of the container such that the ground loaf must be cut when serving to an animal. As a result of processing, ground loaf products exhibit a wide range of textural differences and loaf products generally do not mix well with other forms of foods, especially dry products.
Another type of wet product is generally known in the art as “chunk and gravy.” Chunk and gravy products comprise a preformed meat particle prepared by making a neat emulsion which is extruded and formed by physical pressure or thermal energy such as cooking with steam, cooking in water, oven dry heat and the like. A product, such as cooked meat, is diced into chunks, which are eventually mixed with a gravy or sauce. The two components are then filled into a container, usually a can, which is seamed and sterilized. As opposed to ground loaf, chunk and gravy products have physically separate, discrete chunks (i.e., pieces of ground meat and grains) as prepared. These discrete particles are present in the gravy-type liquid in the final container. When serving, chunk and gravy products flow out of the can and can be easily mixed with other dry products. While chunk and gravy products allow better integrity of the individual ingredients, the heterogeneous formulation of such products is sometimes disfavored by consumers.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,436,463 and 6,440,485, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, describe a third type of wet food composition which is a “hybrid” of the two distinct physical forms of ground loaf and chunk and gravy products. This hybrid composition has the appearance of fine ground hamburger or hash with visually recognizable discrete meat particles within an essentially homogeneous mass of the finished product which assumes the shape of its container. The product requires the inclusion of a grain component for its appearance and homogeneity: however, the grain component tends to make the product “sticky” such that it does not readily release from its storage container.
A hybrid food composition that is also readily released from the storage container, such as the can in which the composition is stored, would be advantageous. Thus, it would be desirable to provide a food composition, a hybrid of the ground loaf and chunk and gravy forms, that is readily released from its storage container.